News Headlines

The Chamber of the Americas Foundation has appointed Laura Frigo as the new Executive Director to create new micro-development programming and further build the relationships between

the participating institutions. Thus, by increasing its role and involvement with up-to-date models and research, she seeks to attain the influence it garners. Laura brings significant international experience in Latin America, after having lived, worked, and conducted research in both Mexico and Brazil. Combined with her marketing and management background in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, she seeks to be an effective cultural liaison committed to communicate the mission and vision.
Laura comes to the Chamber of the Americas Foundation at a pivotal point in its history. It currently finds itself in the startup stage, and resultantly is actively pursuing funding to carry out its mission of international development. As a 501c3 organization created by the Chamber of the Americas, this organization specifically addresses the demand for trade-related knowledge that is current, of subject, and easily available by all members in the various business communities within the Americas. Therefore, through educational seminars and events, it proactively initiates these dialogues by providing opportunities for both Chamber members and non-members to make educated decisions on policy-related issues, promotes realistic reforms that are exercisable at the community level, and conducting new research.
With Laura's inherent commitment to the mission, she is confident that she can effectively revitalize the foundation's old programming and build ties not only between the two parties seeking advice, but the relationship of the organization and that of the greater local Denver community.

Chamber of the Americas,
PerksPlus and You

The Chamber of the Americas is now participating in United Airlines PerksPlus (MileagePlus) program. This program helps the Chamber of the Americas earn mileage for our business trips. When you fly with United, Chamber of the Americas earns points, and YOU WILL NOT FORFEIT any of your own personal miles. All we need is your PerksPlus number.
If you are not a member of PerksPlus, simply go to United.com to register for your PerksPlus number. Then contact Gil Cisneros at 303.462.1275 or gil@chamberoftheamericas.com with your PerksPlus number and the full name on your card. It's that easy. Thank you for helping the Chamber advance business opportunities across borders.

Being a life-long resident of Denver, I have followed La Voz over the years. La Voz has kept me current on issues impacting the Hispanic community. The coverage of Hispanic business,

La Voz covered . . .
the career of Gil Cisneros and his work with the Chamber of the Americas (COTA) as its CEO and President. Cisneros continues to build international relationships which benefit and strengthen the economical and environmental status of the U.S. and Latin American countries. Cisneros' overall dedication to the building of business relationships is a result of the
sharing of ideas, resources and learning about Latin America.La Voz cubrió . . .
la carrera de Gil Cisneros y su trabajo con la Cámara de las Américas (COTA) como su consejero delegado y presidente. Cisneros sigue construyendo relaciones internacionales que benefician y dan poder al estado del medio ambiente y económico de los EE.UU. y los países latinoamericanos. Cisneros dedicación total a la construcción de los negocios de la zona de relaciones resultado del intercambio.

Gil Cisneros Becomes
Board Chair of COTA

The Chamber of the Americas (COTA) is pleased to announce that Gil Cisneros now serves as Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Cisneros co-founded COTA in 2001. With his broad range of contacts, Gil drives COTA's mission of promoting business opportunities by connecting industries, businesses, investors, and government sectors throughout the Americas.

Gil Cisneros and Dr. Carlos Bello, Consul General of Mexico in Denver, at The Americas Executive Forum Luncheon in January, 2014.

I retired to Santa Maria del Oro, Nayarit, Mexico, in January of 2012. I'm happy as a clam here. It is a second-world town of 3,000 people at an elevation of 3,000 feet above sea level. It is about 50 miles east of the Pacific Ocean. It's a clean and tidy town with friendly hard-working people. I've been teaching English, guitar and math and doing volunteer work.
I love the people, the climate, the food, the geography, and especially the language. Spanish is so expressive and musical. However, I was not fluent when I arrived and I still study it every day. For your amusement here are a few of my experiences in learning Spanish. Read more...

County Native Close to Rootsby Wayne Trujillo

Eagle County claims many enduring attributes: pristine snowscapes, soaring mountains, temperate summers and terrain that is so preternaturally conducive to recreational sports that the more ecstatic descriptions typically carry celestial implications – God's country, skier's paradise and hiker's heaven.
Another less conspicuous attribute that has endured through seasonal shifts has been the Hispanic presence. Today, the Latin American tourists and investors who populate Eagle County's slopes and the Latin American workers who populate its service industry represent both a dichotomy and archetypical bookend of the area's Hispanic demographic.
Read more...

Gil Cisneros with Angie Rivera-Malpiede, member, Board of Directors,
and co-chair, Civil Rights Committee of Denver's Regional
Transportation District (RTD), who discussed the long-term benefits of the Fastracks expansion at the Americas Executive Forum Luncheon May 23rd. Fastracks' purpose and goals are to enhance environmental and economic sustainability.

COTA Member, Len Harris, awarded "The Golden Tumi"

The Peruvian College of Engineers in Lima, Peru, has awarded Len Harris The Golden Tumi
"for his fruitful work in the Mining/Metallurgical industry in Peru, which has contributed to the economic development of Peru."
Len, COTA is very proud of your accomplishments. May you have many more.
Gilberto (Gil) Cisneros
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Chamber of the Americas (COTA)

Chamber of the Americas'
New Office in Lima, Peru - "Commerce of the Americas"

Also, please feel free to circulate to companies that may have an interest in these opportunities. For inquiries regarding supplies for production or re-sale, to reduce operating costs or improve margins, contact us.>
Milo J. Blanco
Commercial Representative
Commerce of The Americasmblanco@commerceoftheamericas.com
303-472-1399

German Cerezo was the keynote speaker at a recent Chamber of the Americas meeting and verbally painted a glowing image of the progress and opportunity in his native country of Guatemala.
Cerezo is currently the Executive Director of Grupo Entre Rios, a holding company concerned with sustainable woods and elastics in the Natural Rubber industry. He is a consultant with the group and in charge of new business development. This fluently bilingual and personable professional has an extensive background and expertise in international business, export and investment development, project management and international trade logistics.

He was a trade commissioner for Guatemala for 12 years and has been involved with 20 international corporations, plus another Read more...

Chamber of the Americas:
A Conduit to Latin American Commerce and Cultureby Wayne Trujillo,
Director of Communications,
Chamber of the AmericasTaken from The Huffington Post

The ubiquitous chamber of commerce populates America's business topography comparable to apple pie, baseball and midsummer pyrotechnics. Every municipality boasts a local business consortium that promotes and facilitates commerce. The Chamber of the Americas (COTA), an organization based in Lakewood, Colorado, but active throughout the Western Hemisphere, is a pithy and expansive variation of the typical American chamber of commerce.
Gil Cisneros, COTA's founder and interim Chairman and CEO, experienced a storied career before initiating his current endeavor. A presidential appointee as regional administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration for seven years in the '80s and '90s, Cisneros also earned national recognition from both Hispanic magazine and Hispanic Business magazine. (The former publication honored him as one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in 1991). Read more...

COTA Gearing Up for
Innovative Technologies

The University of Southern California's renowned Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism accepted COTA Communications Director Wayne Trujillo into its Master of Communication Management program. Next year, COTA will initiate an ambitious program and schedule to disseminate its mission and vision through innovative communication practices and digital platforms and technologies. USC Annenberg's MCM program, described as the "Communicator's MBA," integrates all facets of the communication process, including strategy, development, delivery and measurement, into a rigorous graduate program that has real-world applications across organizations, situations, platforms and campaigns. Read more...

COTA North America
in the Spotlightby David Conde
November 19, 2014

Governor John Hickenlooper led a Colorado Biennial of the Americas Summit business delegation to Mexico in July of this year. Gil Cisneros, CEO of the Chamber of the Americas (COTA), was a part of the delegation and took the opportunity to execute a planned opening of a COTA office in Mexico City.
Since then 11 corporations have become charter members of the Chamber and the list is growing. COTA also has offices in Guadalajara, Monterrey and Veracruz, but it is the Mexico City office that is rapidly becoming a platform for a variety of commercial, trade and educational activities that show great promise. Read more...

Dr. Sara Amodio understands the lingo of education and experimentation. She is also fluent in the theories and practices of innovative and inclusive curriculums. The executive principal of the Denver Language School presides over a multicultural and multilingual kingdom comprised of elementary and middle school students pooled from across the metropolitan area. While the students' racial and socio-economic backgrounds are different, their presence, purpose and pursuits at the school involve target language proficiencies – literate, verbal and cultural. DLS's immersion education is really that – complete engagement.
Traditional schools typical offer an hourly second-language excursion. At DLS, the second language resounds throughout the day's curriculum, not merely in reading, writing and phonetic lessons. Students hear, speak and apply their adopted language in art, science and math classes. The target Read more...

The passenger output of Denver International Airport (DIA) places it as the major hub in the center of the country. Its passenger traffic makes it one of the top four airports in the United States and helps make the statement that it is great to do business in Colorado.
As with the airport, the state also projects major power in attracting business interests both nationally and internationally. People like Gil Cisneros have seen to it that Colorado is not left behind in reaching for a fair share of international markets.
His collaboration to achieve this goes back to the time he led the regional Small Business Administration some decades ago. I first had the opportunity to see him at work during the outstanding forums for which his organizations are known. Read more...

Cuba Is Changingby Wayne Trujillo
Director of Communications
Chamber of the Americas From Vail Daily Column

An apparently polite and perfunctory presidential encounter at Nelson Mandela's memorial became more than a mere handshake. Not only did President Barack Obama shake Raul Castro's hand, but he also shook the Beltway and blogosphere, ironically and metaphorically giving pause to those with sanitary concerns about casual and calculated handshakes. This one did indeed go viral. The handshake grabbed the synoptic attention spans that comprise the Internet, inciting gobs of Google returns and emotional comments.
While some pundits and politicians consider President Obama's acknowledge-ment of Cuba's leader either a pragmatic grasp of diplomacy or merely a funereal formality, others lambasted the palming as insouciance, Read more...

Time to Open Up to Cubaby Wayne Trujillo,
Director of Communications
Chamber of the AmericasFrom Vail Daily, Opinion

As the Chamber of the Americas prepares a cultural mission to Cuba and plunges into preparation for a journey that embraces personal passions, cultural education and exploration, I ponder the benefits of American-Cuban exchanges.
While the very notion of the chamber's mission to Cuba provokes anger from a small but powerful group, the chamber believes that such missions promote, rather than hinder, democracy.
I'm not going to debate specific political and policy positions. However, I can translate empirical experience to the possibilities of tourism and economic reform in Cuba, which American tourism and cultural exchange would encourage.
Without tourism in Eagle County, we'd be talking about Hispanic absence rather than Hispanic presence. Then again, there would be many demographics missing from the valley. But tourism not only retained and increased Hispanic residency in the valley, the associated economics encouraged assimilation, advancement and assets. Read more...

Hope for Immigration Fixby Gil Cisneros and Wayne Trujillo,
Chamber of the AmericasAs seen in The Denver Post

Contrary to popular fears, immigration reform will enhance rather than dilute public funds and resources, write Gil Cisneros and Wayne Trujillo of the Chamber of the Americas.(Jim Watson, AFP/Getty)

Immigration reform has made a comeback. In the last five years, a recession, housing bust, unemployment, two presidential elections, gay marriage and a host of other economic, political and social bombshells overshadowed the plight of the estimated 11.2 million people in the United States without legal documentation.
The heady 2006 rallies marched past noisy crowds and even louder headlines – not into victory, but a silent and shadowy netherworld without resolution or satisfaction on anybody's behalf. Media blips occasionally reminded America of the issue and activists constantly patrolled, on the lookout for any signs of action within or without the Beltway.
Arizona and Alabama provided the
A‑list sideshows to federal inaction. Read more...

COTA's Speaker, Frank Gallo,
Makes His Book Available

Granada Publishing Services

"The Comandante's Gift"by Frank Gallo

Caution: If you intend to read this book, be sure you are ready to stay up late. This book is difficult to put down. It deals with the turbulent 1980s in Nicaragua and efforts by the United States and others to overthrow communist dictator Daniel Ortega and his Sandinistas and restore democracy to the Central American country.
The spy intrigues, the many dangers faced by those battling the Communist Sandinistas, the gun battles, the harrowing aircraft fights all keep the reader glued till the last page, where a little romance steps in.

- Excerpt from a review by Joe McGowan, Associated Press Reporter

While literally thousands of books are written every year on the topic of marketing, few books are written on the subject of marketing to U.S. Hispanics. Even fewer are written in a way that provides the reader with a practical understanding of the distinctiveness of the Hispanic population in America.

In this perceptive book, Sonderup demonstrates her deep understanding of solid marketing principles combined with a career's worth of cultural and consumer observations. Many of the insights found in these pages may seem obvious, even simple. But that's exactly the challenge for the marketing professional:
Read more...

Stock Market Finance

Upcoming Programs

We are currently forming a list of interested people that may want to participate in the Trade Mission to Chile with us later this year. If interested, please contact gil@chamberoftheamericas.com and we will keep you posted on developments.

LET'S OPEN THE DOORS
TO MUTUAL PROSPERITYRe: COTA's 11-10-13 Cultural
Mission to Cuba

William Kinsella is a COTA member who attended the COTA Cuban Cultural Mission. We want to share Mr. Kinsella's incisive and illuminating commentary and observations on contemporary Cuba and the cultural mission. COTA appreciates his support for and contributions to COTA's mission. Mr. Kinsella is Director of Constituent Services for the Office of Rhode Island Governor Lincoln D. Chafee. He lives in Providence, Rhode Island.

Please note: Mr. Kinsella's participation in COTA's Cuba Cultural Mission was a personal endeavor outside his official position and duties in Governor Chafee's office. The following commentary is his personal opinion, and does not represent those of Governor Chafee's office.

You did a fantastic job in your recent summary of capturing the COTA mission's essence and its agenda, all the while interjecting keen observations about the socio-economic-politico climate in Cuba that dispel conventional American stereotypes (a number of which I've encountered since returning from the COTA mission.)

The COTA mission provided an incredibly intimate yet diverse understanding of Cuba and her wonderful people during their transition to an open market economy with greater personal economic autonomy, high standards of living and progressive human rights. I was pleasantly surprised by the conditions and ongoing improvements occurring in Cuba and found only the fading and outdated communist propaganda billboards suggestive of the past. In fact, all that seems to remain of post-Revolutionary Cuban injustice is the U.S. embargo. Read more...

SO GRATEFUL TO COTARe: 11-10-13 Cultural Mission to Cuba

Thank you, Gil, and Chamber of the Americas for an outstanding trip. I feel very fortunate I was able to experience Cuba in this way and with such great people. The group leader's experience, connections and passion were priceless, and I am unable to express how impactful and thought-provoking this trip was for me. I would highly recommend this trip program to anyone interested in Cuba.

Thank you,
Chrissy Lynch
Steamboat Springs, Colorado

"Raul Castro and the New Cuba"by Harlan Abrahams and
Arturo Lopez-Levy (COTA Member)

In 2006, Fidel Castro yielded power over Cuba to his younger brother Raúl,
making him the first new president of the island nation in nearly five decades.
Since then, Raúl has ushered in many changes and reforms, including allowing
open criticism of the government, lifting the ban on personal electronics like cell phones and computers, and allowing farmers
to purchase their own equipment.

This timely work weaves together expert analysis with narrative accounts from current Cuban
citizens to explore the economic, political, legal, and social changes occurring in Cuba under Raúl Castro's presidency.
Read more...

KUDOS TO COTA!Re: 10-19-11 Trade Mission to Peru

Thank you for the most precisioned and productive business-client alliance I have ever attended. I came to Peru based upon the belief that this would be different than other conferences I've attended, both in the USA and internationally.

It truly was! You and your team brought "realistic opportunities" to the
table as well as capable end users that are poised to engage. I am pleased
beyond words and look forward to our immediate and future dealings!

I look favorably to meeting with you and Edgar in Denver next week to discuss our future relationship and how, together, we may make the difference in Peru and Latin America.

The Caribbean is a region located in close geographical proximity to the U.S., with many shared historical and cultural ties. Fifteen Caribbean countries are currently joined together as part of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) union, while there are five associate member countries.

U.S. Commerce Department Senior Adviser and Chief of Staff, Rick Wade, recently remarked (following a departmental Trade Mission to Jamaica and the Dominican Republic) that due to its "close proximity and a favorable trading relationship over time" the Caribbean is "a natural area for U.S. firms to explore new export opportunities that will result in more jobs for American workers." He added that in today's global marketplace, "It is critical for companies to establish alliances with partners in other markets in order to be competitive."

Background:Puerto Rico is an island situated between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of the Dominican Republic. It is a self-governing commonwealth in association with the United States. The chief of state is the President of the U.S.; the head of government is an elected governor (Luis Fortuño since 1-2-09). There are two legislative chambers: the House of Representatives, 51 seats, and the Senate, 27 seats.

Puerto Rico's success in beating back a $2-billion deficit and clearing the path to solvency was the story that Jose R. Perez-Riera related at the Chamber of the Americas (COTA) Executive Forum luncheon on March 23rd, according to Gil Cisneros, COTA president/CEO. Perez-Riera is secretary of Puerto Rico's Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DEDC).
(Click here to download a copy of the presentation.) Read more...

Chairperson for Chamber of the Americas Laura Sonderup, President Pepe Lobo of Honduras, and Gil Cisneros, Chairman and CEO, Chamber of the Americas, at the November 8th Americas Forum in Denver, Colorado. (See story below.)

Chamber of the Americas
Gives Honduras a Boost

by Dr. David Conde, La Voz

Gil Cisneros has worked tirelessly for decades for the inclusion of Latin America in the U.S. priorities for trade and investment. My first experiences with his efforts involved Gov. Owens' trade missions to Mexico in 1999 and 2000.

At that time, Cisneros was the Executive Director of the U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce. Since then, he has moved over to direct the Chamber of the Americas, which provides a wider field for his work.

A constant stream of executive breakfasts and conferences held by the Chamber has put a variety of opportunities on the table for U.S. companies and individuals wanting to do business in Mexico, Central and South America. Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Columbia, Venezuela, Guatemala and Mexico among others are brought together with our buyers and sellers to begin the trading and investment process and help prosperity win out.

That was the case on Monday, November 8, when the Chamber of the Americas in partnership with Metropolitan State College of Denver and others including Mayor of Denver and Govenor-elect John Hickenlooper hosted a Honduran delegation that came to town to find partners for its growing economy. This time around however, the delegation was led by Porfirio José (Pepe) Lobo López, president of the country.

Honduras is one of the major bastions of the Mayan civilization that flourished between 400 and 900 A.D. Its ancient city Copán located on its eastern border together with Tikal in Guatemala and Palenque in southern Mexico, are considered the most important examples of the Classic Maya. Read more...

About Us

The Chamber of the Americas is a not-for-profit
organization with a simple, profoundly important goal: To help you
make the most of your business opportunity in the Americas.READ MORE

Testimonial

University of Colorado Law School

...Because of the Chamber, many Latin American and Central American countries and Mexico have established meaningful business relationships with the United States of America and Colorado. READ MORE